Meet Tangie Robertson , New Coordinator of our MEECON Program
We are pleased to welcome Tangie Robertson as the new program coordinator for our MEECON program ; she is also the coordinator for all of our RISE ( Rice Initiative for the Study of Economics ) activities , including the annual Nobel Laureate Lecture . Tangie comes to us from the Jones Graduate School of Business where she has been a faculty program coordinator since 2017 and was the recipient of a Rice Mile award , which recognizes excellent performance by university staff . Prior to coming to Rice , she worked in Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Houston . Tangie has been working in the department since February 1 , and said , “ I am happy to be a part of the Economics Department team and would like to say thanks for the warm welcome .” Director of the MEECON program Peter Hartley told RICE ECON , “ We are delighted that Tangie has joined our team and looking forward to her help as we continue to improve our program and provide an outstanding learning environment for our MEECON students .”
Tangie is the mother of two , Trevor ( 30 ) and Makayla ( 23 ), and the grandma of a three-year-old puppy named Gizmo . She added , “ I enjoy creating custom design T-shirts in my free time . I also enjoy walks in the park and taking spontaneous road trips with my sister , Barbara .”
If you haven ’ t met Tangie yet , stop by her office ( KRF 406 ) and say hello !
More About the MEECON Program
Peter Hartley Co-Director , MEECON Program
The Master of Energy Economics is a full-time , 12-month professional master ’ s degree . The curriculum is offered in four terms , normally with the final term devoted to an internship or practicum . Students are required to complete 40 credit hours within the 12 months , which are separated into four sessions . Sessions I and II correspond to the fall and spring semesters , respectively , and follow the standard Rice academic calendar . Sessions III and IV are consecutive 7-week-long sessions that take place during the summer . All courses in Session I , and two in Session II , are mandatory . Sessions II and III provide a variety of specialized elective courses of particular interest to a subset of students . Students have the option to accelerate their program of study by taking additional elective courses in the spring semester .
All students are also required to complete an internship or practicum to provide them with practical experience relevant to the degree . The practicum is a research project similar to what students will encounter in industry . It is developed by a group of participating industry advisors to whom the student will also present their analyses at the end of the degree program . Internships provide prospective employers with an opportunity to effectively evaluate new talent . Students complete the required internship in Sessions II , III , or IV . However , the practicum is only available in Session IV . The internship should be directly related to the MEECON degree program . It is recognized that some students may be employed in an industry that provides a suitable internship opportunity . These students may be able to fulfill the internship requirement by working on a special project with their current employer .
The MEECON Program develops and educates future leaders and strategic thinkers in the energy sector . The program trains participants to provide insightful analysis and to inform such things as capital asset decisions , firm strategic direction and future market orientation by combining the disciplined study of market and economic principles with a deep understanding of the functioning and inter-connections of the energy industry . At the core of any discussion of these matters is the manner in which energy markets function . The inexorable link between economic activity and energy demand implies that understanding the sources of growth is critical to determining the market pull for energy resources . The economic factors that determine supply and deliverability then determine how the demand for energy services will be met . More specifically , the economics of energy supply and deliverability affect how energy resources are allocated through both space and time .
We are particularly proud to offer the program here in Houston , the widely recognized energy capital of the world , and at Rice which already has an existing reputation in energy studies built upon the programs in the Economics Department and the Baker Institute ’ s Center for Energy Studies ( CES ). The commitment of Rice to training future leaders in academia , business , and government and the proven excellence of the Center for Energy Studies in creating cutting edge analysis of the energy industry provides a solid foundation for the program . We also bring in reputable scholars from around the country to teach program electives and impart a deeper understanding of specialized fields as well as give participants an opportunity to network and field questions directly to the experts .
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